If I Could Go Back
by TNpantherwoman1
Summary: This is Rondo's story. He has become one of my favorite characters, so I thought he should hav e his very own story. Rated M for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**IF I COULD GO BACK**

**A/N Short and sweet; this is my telling of how Rondo came to be one of Angela's Guardians.**

The past is trying to overtake the present. The shadows sneak up on him and cover every ray of light. It happens more and more frequently. Sometimes he isn't even aware of it. The past just swallows him. It's now happening on a daily basis, where once it was a brief second, and then it became a day or two every few months. Now, it took him everyday.

One person recognized the demon he had allowed to possess him. The demon responsible for destroying him and so many other innocents. The dream he chased with every fiber of his being. And now that the demon had heard it's name spoken, it wanted to live again. It wanted to overtake him and feed from his life force.

Rondo gathered the blanket closer, fighting to keep the memories at bay. He clawed the surrounding area seeking the only comfort left to him. His trembling hands closed around the crumpled brown bag. "I know this is my punishment, but I can't face it. Lord Jesus. I can't face it. Please deliver me from this hell on earth. Remember back when … it happened. I begged you to take me. To send me to hell where I belong, but you forgave me. You left me here. You wanted me to atone. You still want me to atone. But I can't!" The words exploded in an anguished cry, his eyes lifted to the heavens. "Please, please make it stop!"

"Hey Man, you OK? You got what you need Rondo?" Mo Money asked as he stepped into the packing crate one hand extended toward Rondo. He had been standing outside for a full minute banging on the wooden crate.

"It won't let me go. It won't let me go!" Rondo squeezed his eyes as tight as he could and swayed back and forth the empty pint bottle nestled in it's familiar wrapping paper. He listened hard for the slosh of liquid, but heard only the paper crinkle. Tonight he couldn't escape the memories. They were dancing on the very center of his soul.

"Easy Man. Here, here take a sip. Everything be OK once you get a couple drinks of this fresh bottle." Mo Money gave a sharp twist and broke the seal on the cheap whiskey. He took a small sip before pressing it into the empty hand lying limp on the dirty blanket.

"Please make it stop. Please." Rondo grasped the bottle, his lifeline restored. He drank greedily and felt the welcoming wave of forgetfulness begin to wrap it's comforting arms around his aching psyche. He blessed the saint who gave him this needed respite.

In all the years Mo and Rondo had shared the streets, this was the absolute worst he had ever seen Rondo. "Fuck, I should have visited last night when Big Amy told me to."

The area around Rondo's packing crate and the docks was Big Amy's usual territory. She liked the longshoremen and the rougher clientele. Big Amy never failed to bring her Daddy at least a thousand a night. Last night after turning in her take, she had knocked on Money's door and asked if she could have a word about a mutual friend. Once in awhile, the girls liked to take on a little side trade. As long as they gave Mo his cut, he allowed them to take on extra clients. It was one of these clients, he thought Amy wanted to discuss.

"Daddy, I got a bad feeling about Rondo. He aint been seen on the street in a couple of days. Me and some of the other girls were wondering if you could go see that he's OK." Amy asked in a timid voice, not at all like her usual booming tone.

"Why you worried about Rondo. He a grown ass man. Rondo been on these streets longer than you been off your Mamma's teat. Leave him be. He'll work it out. Don't go bothering him." Mo had snapped. He was in a foul mood because only Amy and one of his other girls had made their quota for the night. The lazy bitches had tried to tell him no one was looking for a party. He knew better, sex always sold!

Amy had left, but the feeling that something was wrong had remained. He spent the next day doing business as usual. Except his thoughts kept straying to Rondo. Maybe he should take a ride down to the docks and see if things were running smoothly. He left his apartment and headed to the nearest liquor store. If Rondo was in some kind of trouble, only the whiskey could lure him back to safety.

Shaking his head to clear the memories, Mo Money sank onto his heels and watched Rondo gulp half the pint before lowering the bottle. "What's the world coming to when a bitch be right?"

"An end." Rondo whispered brokenly.

"Plenty more where that came from Rondo. Drink up man and forget the shit hurtin' your head. I'll page Amy to bring us another bottle. I need to see if that Bitch been workin' tonight anyway." Money fished his mobile from his jacket and sent a text to Amy.

Rondo tried to focus on the three white faces in front of him. One was Mo Money, he didn't recognize the other two. Maybe the two new arrivals on the next block. ""Thirty-four years. This hole in my soul has been swallowing me for thirty-four years."

It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to prevent asking why Rondo didn't just jump into the fucking ocean and end it all. Life was meant to be enjoyed, not wallow in agony and take a hundred years drinking your liver to death. That's what hell was for, but only after you die. Life was a party. The ultimate party!

"I can't even hear one note without all the demons clawing at my insides. They rip my heart to shreds and feed on the marrow of my bones." Rondo tried to pass the bottle back to Money, but fell sideways and lay there unable to either slide all the way down, or push back up.

"You is one mess." Money gently took Rondo's slumped shoulders and returned him to a sitting position. "Man the past is done and gone. You gotta let it go. Live in the now of today."

"It won't let me go." Rondo answered his eyes glazing. How he wanted the peace of forgetfulness.

Money lifted the hand holding the bottle back to Rondo's lips. "This is what you need my friend. Everything be OK tomorrow."

"There is no tomorrow. She said that to me. I didn't believe her. Plenty tomorrows and the day after tomorrows too. I told her. My dream in reach stretch out my hand just another inch." Rondo slurred after swallowing the last sip of whiskey. Had he drank two bottles today or three? Did it really matter?

Money rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If bitches could keep they mouth shut the world wouldn't tilt on it's fucking ear!" He eased back against the packing crate cursing Officer Jane Rizzoli. Now she was a hot shot detective. He should call her bleeding heart down here to sit with Rondo. His index finger hovered over the keypad. Not two months ago, Detective Rizzoli had ridden out a very bad heroin trip in this very packing crate. Money had instructed Amy and his other girls to keep an eye on Rondo and Jane and call him if they needed help. Officer Rizzoli had busted him once, when she worked Vice, but she never failed to lend a hand to anyone needing help. Protect and Serve was stitched on her soul.

The low sounds of a love song drifted on the night air. Money closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. Man, could this dude sing. All honey and silk. The bitches would be screaming and throwing panties on the stage for this ….

Money opened his eyes and stared at Rondo. The beautiful music came from the drunken bum not three feet in front of him. Money had heard stories on the street that back in the day, Rondo had been the lead singer of a silky soul band. He didn't doubt that Rondo had been in a band, but he never would have guessed the sweet music filling his ears came form the man who had just downed a pint of cheap whiskey.

"What kind of demons do you have my friend. I know you got plenty the way you drink, and after hearing this music, I know they is a story that needs to be told." But who would tell it?

**A/N I appreciate you stopping by to read. Please, drop me a note and let me know what you think of the beginning. **


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO**

**A/N In part two, Rondo returns to the spotlight and loses himself - body and soul.**

The platinum blonde answered the insistent buzz from her employer. "Mr. McGregg will see you now, Sir."

"Thank you." Rondo pulled two small purple slips of paper from his shirt pocket. "Maybe if you and a friend are free this evening, you can come down to the Flying Machine and hear our set. We go on at 10 and play until midnight." Rondo gave a dazzling smile as she allowed her fingers to caress his as she took the tickets.

False eyelashes alternately shielded and revealed brilliant green eyes. "Can I bring a boy friend, or a girl friend?"

"If you bring a boy, my bass player will be disappointed. Won't matter to me 'cause I'll be dancing with you." He curled his fingers around her palm and lifted her knuckles to his lips. "Until tonight."

"Tonya, tell that ragged assed musician to get in here or get the fuck out of my office. I aint got all day to sit in here jacking off waiting on him!" A short barrel-chested man exploded from the office the stub of a cigar clamped tight between his teeth. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? Get your hands off my daughter!"

Ever the smooth talker, Rondo released Tonya's hand and stood giving the man an innocent smile. "I was just inviting your lovely daughter to come hear us play tonight. She can tell you how the audience responds to us."

"Call me Mac." the beefy hand not holding the cigar butt, was thrust at Rondo.

"Pleased to meet ya Mac. I'm Rondo. Lead singer of the Velvet Tones." Rondo grasped the offered hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Come on in here and we'll talk business. Tonya, no disturbances." Mac gave his daughter a glare and ushered Rondo into his private office.

"Mr. M..Mac…" Rondo found himself slammed into the wall an iron forearm closing off his airway.

"Touch my daughter and I'll be feeding your little prick to the fish off pier 6. Understand?" Mac growled his eyes wild and the glowing tip of the cigar barely an inch from Rondo's left eye. "She is pure as a virgin snowfall and she will remain that way. Her womanhood will be breached only by the man who takes her to wife before God, her Mother and Me."

Rondo was feeling the fear in his belly crawl to the lungs in his chest begging for air. He was starting to see fuzzy shapes floating in front of him and his ears were ringing. He blinked several times praying Mac would understand that he was agreeing. There were too many girls available for the taking to loose his life over one tasty morsel.

"Good boy." Mac said returning the cigar to his mouth and delivering a stinging slap to both cheeks. "You remember that one simple rule and we will be friends for life."

Ladies were five deep all around the stage. Rondo sang a couple lines to each of them. He went down on one knee and looked deep into their luminous eyes as he sang about forever love and passion so hot it scorched the soul. He spotted Tonya and moved in the opposite direction. He heard the opening notes of Wilson Pickett's In The Midnight Hour and knew it was time to wrap up tonight's show. He chose a plump brunette and sang the entire song just to her.

"Great job Man. I got a date with that little honey right over there." Samson pointed to a petite redhead with a large bust. "Stay safe." Samson gave a two finger salute and leapt off the stage to pull the laughing woman into his arms.

Rondo gave a return salute and began looking for his own entertainment. He was about to invite a tall ebony Goddess to join him at the bar when a double whiskey was shoved into his hands. "Afraid of my Daddy?" Tonya asked a playful pout pursing her full pink lips.

Those lips opened a sliver and the tip of a wet pink tongue appeared. His heart rate tripled as he imagined those lips opening to close on his heated flesh and that wicked tongue leaving a trail of seared flesh and scorching promises of more delight when they were alone in the shadows of this hot August night.

"I aint afraid. Just don't make sense to mess where a man eats." He drained the whiskey in one gulp and tried to step around her still intent on taking the ebony Goddess home.

"Do you want me to give Daddy a good report or not?" Tonya smiled. "I promise not to bite you, unless you like teeth marks. Do you Rondo?"

He didn't like rough sex. Loving was like music to him, the smoother the better. He enjoyed pleasuring a woman all night long. If he left a woman with less than five orgasms, he had a bad night. His claim to fame was loving them so good they slept through him leaving the next morning. "Not my thing, Baby."

"So you like boring old missionary sex." Tonya challenged. "You ever tried any fun stuff, Rondo?" She trailed her fingers across his shoulder to his ear and traced the outer edge. "Come here, I have a secret to share with you." She crooked her finger inviting him closer.

He could stand here and debate sexual positions with her, or he could take his leave and make a move on the Goddess. "I'm flattered, but this aint a game I wanna play with you. Excuse me." He set the empty glass on the stage.

Velvet soft lips brushed his ear as she went up on tiptoe and whispered. "I'm not a virgin."

His dick sprang to life straining to gain freedom form the tight satin. "Tonya, don't be…"

Scorching breath trailed from his ear to the corner of his mouth. She pressed her full breasts against his arm and let her tongue tease small circles from top lip to bottom and back again. He fought for a full minute before dragging her to him and covering her lips with his own.

Tonya lay on the clean sheets rolling her nipples between her thumb and forefinger. "I have every record you have made. In fact, I played Baby Love Me Down Tonight so many times I had to buy a new copy."

He watched in fascination as her left hand skimmed her lean stomach and twisted in the blonde curls of her mound. In his head he was rehearsing what he would say to Mac if this night ever made it to the man's hearing. A smart man would have zipped his fly and ran from the room. Rondo was not a smart man where women were concerned. He downed another double and stripped in less than a minute.

"What a treat for me!" Tonya exclaimed taking him in her hand and moving up and down the heated shaft. "This is an all day sucker for sure."

He could blame the whiskey. He could say his mind filled with a temporary sickness causing him to lose his judgment. He could say her beauty lured him. Or he could tell the truth and say he wanted her with a desire he had never felt for any other woman.

Rondo covered the ivory body with his own and sank into heaven. His normal slow pace was tossed aside as he sought her entrance. With a hard shove, he pushed into her and felt her legs clamp around him as her flesh split. His own throaty curse blended with her own harsh cry of pain.

"What the fuck have I done?" He whispered slowly withdrawing from her tight body.


	3. Chapter 3

**PART THREE**

**A/N We last found Rondo in a very compromising situation. Let's see what happens next. Thank you for reading and taking time to let me know you are enjoying it. Now on with the story…**

Rondo opened the set with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "If You Don't Know Me By Now." Samson caressed his way across the stage. He blew kisses to a couple ladies in the front row and leaned close to snarl in Rondo's ear. "Man you gotta get off this heartbreak stuff. We known for our silky sound, but this is making them cry! We want them to drop their panties not sob into a lace hankie!"

He moved away from Samson and broke into the legendary B. B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone." The lyrics mirrored his mood. He was still having nightmares about taking Tonya McGregg's virginity. She wasn't the first virgin in his bed, but she was the first to spring the news on him as he took her. He was constantly looking over his shoulder waiting for a couple of hired guns to take him out and turn him into fish food.

After Luther Ingram's "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" and the biggest hit to date for The Velvet Tones "Baby Love Me Down Tonight", which only served as a stronger reminder of that infamous night. Rondo stormed off the stage leaving Samson to bid goodnight to the crowd. He headed straight to the bar and ordered a double whisky.

"You ever gonna tell me what happened between you and that young piece?" Samson demanded ordering his own drink.

"Took the wrong one home. Simple as that." Rondo signaled for a second drink.

Samson swallowed his drink and clapped a hand on Rondo's shoulder. "Looks like this night gonna get better. Mr. Mac just come in."

Every drop of blood pooled in his boots. Rondo felt beads of sweat pop out on his brow. This was his end. He ordered a third drink only to feel Mac's hand grasp his wrist and twist it away from the amber liquid held by the silent bartender. He felt his knees go weak and his sphincter pucker.

"Well, well The Velvet Tones." He clapped Samson's shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. "Sorry I missed the show boys. How 'bout you take the stage and do a special encore for me?"

Samson was already moving toward the stage. If their boss wanted to hear a song, he was going to hear a song. Rondo gave a pained smile and looked at his still imprisoned wrist. He took a shaky breath when Mac released him and gave a toothy smile. "What would you like to hear, Mac?"

"You know "Band OF Gold" by the lovely Freda Payne?. Mac asked his companions, one a huge bald man and the other with a long black beard, surrounding Rondo.

Rondo sat in the back of the Lincoln shaking. Mac's muscle sat on both sides making sure there was no escape. The car rolled to a smooth stop and Bald opened the door motioning for Rondo to step out. Beard pointed a beefy finger toward the warehouse. Bald knocked on a steel door and muttered a garbled phrase before shoving Rondo into the dark interior.

"Welcome to my warehouse." Mac said sitting behind a scarred desk his usual cigar butt clamped between his teeth. "You're a smart man, Rondo. Do I need to tell you why we're here?"

His throat worked convulsively, but no sound escaped. Rondo almost fell into the chair beside the desk. He took an unsteady breath and began, "Mr…Mac, I had no idea she was pure."

"Fucking liar!" Mac roared leaping around the desk and burying his fist deep in Rondo's abdomen. "You sack of dog shit! I told you she was pure and would stay that way until her wedding." Another blow landed in exactly the same spot robbing Rondo of breath. "Now, I want to know what you are willing to do to make this right?"

All hope disappeared as Rondo recalled Mac pinning him against his office wall. Why had he believed Tonya? He had to stop drinking. This was the entrance to hell and he was spiraling down fast.

"Mother Fucker, you better do something besides imitate a fish flopping on the bank of the river." Mac gestured to Beard and took a step back. He ground the cigar butt under his heel and held out his hand. A soft pop made Rondo's blood turn to ice.

"I can't give back what I took." Rondo began his eyes wide with fear as Mac brought the business end of a welding torch within an inch of his crotch.

"Every little girl has a dream. My little girl dreams this same dream. Tell me, Mr. Velvet Tone, do you know what I'm talking about?" Mac turned to Baldy and asked, "Think he has a clue?"

"Unless he's a total idiot, Boss. That song said it all." Baldy laughed showing front teeth covered with gold.

Marriage.

It wasn't that Rondo was against marriage. Someday, he wanted a wife and kids. Now his dreams were filled with making it in music. He and Samson were headliners at several Boston clubs and were getting offers to go on tour. They had plans to go in the studio and record another album. Their last single had made it to the Hot 100 chart and was currently at number 93.

"Boss, I don't think he's the marrying kind. Them musician types, just fuck 'em and leave 'em." Beard said in a low growl. He was really in the mood to break some bones and was in no mood to play games. Give him five minutes with the asshole and he would be begging to walk down the isle….if he could still walk.

Mac doused the torch and threw it across the room where it bounced off the wall. "In about nine months, my little girl is going to be a Momma. You think I'm going to let my grandson or granddaughter be born a bastard?"

Rondo barely had time to register the news before he was yanked from the chair and tossed onto the floor. Viscous kicks bruised and battered every inch of his unprotected body. He curled his arms over his head and let the blows fall. After an eternity, the beating stopped. He was dragged up by his arms and slammed back into the chair.

"Do you think he had time to come to a decision, boys?" Mac asked an open switchblade in his hand.

"T…Tonya is pregnant?" Rondo asked wrapping his arms around his ribs. By nightfall, he would be a mass of bruises from head to tail.

A hard slap brought tears streaming down his face. Mac grasped Rondo's ears and held his face so their eyes were locked in a war of emotions. Anger leapt from the brilliant green eyes so like Tonya's scorching the confused dark brown ones pleading for an escape. "If not, she will be soon. You will either marry my daughter and give me and her Mother a grandchild, or so help me God, I will filet you, clean out your guts and toss your empty carcass into the bay."

There was one slim chance this shotgun wedding could be avoided. "Does she want to marry me?"

"You took her innocence!" Mac thundered. "It doesn't matter if she wants to marry you. You will take her to wife and, Motherfucker, if you cheat on her, I will cut off your dick and shove it in your ass. Do you understand?"

Rondo drew a shaky breath and closed his eyes. There was no way out of this nightmare. "When is the wedding?"

"You will call at my home this evening and will formally ask me for Tonya's hand in marriage. Then you will sit in the parlor with your fiancée and her mother and plan the wedding of her dreams." Mac reached in his pocket and pulled out a velvet ring box.

"I can afford to buy an engagement ring." Rondo snapped insulted.

"I don't give a fuck if you're related to John D. Rockefeller. This was her Grandmother's and you will give it to her. Do you understand?" Mac thundered his face turning purple.

"Perfectly." Rondo accepted the small box feeling as if he had already been gutted and tossed into the bay.

Marriages that began at the business end of a shotgun rarely produced happy or successful unions. Could he become a husband and father? Rondo settled into the backseat for the ride home his soul crushed. He needed a drink!


	4. Chapter 4

**PART FOUR**

**A/N Rondo wants to do the right thing. He believes he can marry Tonya and still pursue music. Is he right…of course not!**

At Seven P.M. sharp Rondo stood on the top step of the McGregg home trying to control his breathing. He had practiced his speech to Mr. McGregg at least a hundred times since being dropped off at his apartment. He had also practiced what he would say to Tonya. He stuck a trembling hand into the pockets of his best suit pants. The ring lay heavy like an anchor for an ocean liner. He cleared his throat one last time and pressed the bell.

The maid a shade darker than Rondo, gave him a look from head to toe that left him feeling like vermin. She opened the door and ushered him inside the spotless foyer. Neither exchanged a word as she led him into a dark wood paneled office. He allowed his eyes to scan the pictures covering every surface. Mac and his family on vacation in exotic places. Mac and local politicians. Mac and a dozen Jazz, blues and soul groups. There were even two gold records on the wall above the mahogany desk. Maybe one day he would have his picture up there with a gold record. If Mac became his father-in-law, he would have an automatic in to record producers. This could be a blessing in disguise. He allowed himself to breathe a little easier.

"Don't usually see musicians and such at home, the wife don't like it. Can I offer you a beer?" Somehow Mac had entered the room and stood not two feet away. The man had to be part jungle cat to move so silently.

"Mr…Mr. McGregg, I'm not here about our business deal." Rondo drew himself up to his full height of 6 feet and squared his shoulders. "I've," He needed something a lot stronger than beer.

Mac moved to a bar in the far corner of the room and poured a whiskey. He handed it to Rondo then poured one for himself. "Is there something you need to ask me Son?"

Rondo downed the drink in one greedy gulp. Macallan, excellent whisky. It was all he could do to keep from smacking his lips. Maybe Mac would gift him with a bottle for a wedding present. "I've come to ask your daughter's hand in marriage."

"You fucking did what?" Tonya screamed throwing her glass of burgundy at him. "What on earth possessed you to do that?"

"The baby." Was all he could manage. Rondo sat there feeling like a man awaiting execution. He wasn't thrilled about getting hitched either. Hell he still wanted to carve a few dozen notches on his bedpost. He was young, hung and guaranteed to make any woman cum.

"My daddy told you I was pregnant?"

"I want to do the right thing by you and our child." He tried to take her hand, but found himself holding air. A ringing slap brought tears to his eyes and the copper taste of fresh blood. He absently found a napkin and dabbed his bleeding lip.

"It's not your fucking kid." Tonya growled. This was not working out as she had planned. Her Daddy was supposed to hit the roof. Beat the shit out of Rondo, poor stupid patsy. And after a week or two to cool off, send her to Europe to "have the baby". She had already made plans to visit a physician her father and his men used when they couldn't go to a legitimate doctor. Her trip to Europe was slipping though her fingers because she picked the wrong fall guy!

Not his? What was she saying. Of course the child was his. He had taken her innocence. Did she not understand what had happened between them that night? Tonya knew exactly what happened that night, it was Rondo who remained clueless. After "breaching her hymen", he had drank a bottle of whiskey before climbing back into bed with the pleading girl. She had begged him to finish making her a woman. Rondo had rolled on top of Tonya and promptly fallen asleep. As for him taking her for the first time, this too was a very clever lie staged by Tonya. She had taken a razor blade and made several small cuts to her inner thighs. The blood from the cuts on her thighs had been spread around her outer lips. A carefully timed scream and shudder as well as the smears of blood on his penis had been all rondo needed to believe he had deflowered an innocent girl.

"I know this is unexpected. It took me by surprise too. We'll make it work. You'll see. Everything will be OK." Rondo spoke in his most soothing tone. He really would try hard to make things work for them. He could change form a ladies man to a family man. Lots of cats in music had families and careers. He could too.

"I wasn't a virgin you stupid asshole. It was make believe. I haven't been a virgin since I was fifteen. God you are so gullible!" She grabbed her purse from the floor beside the sofa and stalked to the door. "I should have chosen the other chump, what's his name Samson?"

"Where you going? We have things to discuss. The wedding, the baby…" Rondo ducked as a small lamp narrowly missed his head. "Mac isn't going to like this." He threatened not knowing what else to say. If she walked out now, she might not come back. They had things to discuss.

"You and my Daddy can go fuck each other." Tonya grasped the lamp on the other table flanking the door and hurled it at Rondo.

It caught him on the left shoulder causing him to stumble and fall. By the time he managed to get back to his feet. Tonya was long gone. Rondo spent the rest of the night searching his neighborhood for a trace of his fiancée. She was nowhere to be found.

As dawn spread pale pink and orange fingers across the sky, he swallowed his pride and called Samson. The two of them knocked on doors and visited every bar, club and backroom near the docks. Tonya had vanished into thin air.

Tonya ran from Rondo's small stale apartment like death was running his icy fingers down her spine. She hailed a taxi and gave an address across town. Seeing the hack of a doctor scared her, but she was not ready to become a mother. And becoming a wife wasn't in her future either. She and Angelo were young, carefree and in love. Marriage would come for her, never.

"Undress, lay on the table, spread your legs wide and keep your mouth shut." The "surgeon" passed her a yellowed rag. "Cram this in your mouth if you feel like screaming. Don't need my damn nosy neighbors calling the law on me. I'm doing you a favor."

She took the dingy cloth and balled it in a small know in her hands. She was having second thoughts. Maybe she should talk to her daddy and have an abortion in a real doctor's office with a real doctor.

"You got the money? I don't work for nuthin'." He held out his hand waiting for the promised payment.

"Two hundred dollars." Tonya pulled the money from her bag and pressed it into his hands. She watched him count every bill. He nodded satisfied and waved a hand at her clothing.

Too much blood. The bitch was bleeding out on his kitchen table. Murdock grabbed a handful of dingy rags and began stuffing them into the bleeding girl. If he was lucky, she would get home or wherever she was staying before she bled to death. He didn't need a dead bitch on his doorstep.

"All done." He announced too loudly. "Get up, get dressed and get the hell out. Recover in your own bed." Murdock poked a bony finger at one too pale thigh. In an instant he knew she had died on his table during the abortion.

"I gotta get rid of this fucking body. Mac will kill me!" Murdock ran to his bedroom and yanked the covers off his bed. He threw them over the dead girl and secured them using curtain ties. He offered a short prayer that his ex-wife had been the fussy type. He sat on the sofa staring at the wrapped bundle. There was nothing else but to toss her into the bay and hope she sank like a rock.

Luck was with him or so he thought. Murdock made it to the bay and found enough stones to make the body sink quickly from sight. He stood watching to see if the body would surface for an hour before returning home. Had he bothered to look behind him, he would have noticed a very large man with a bald head and menacing expression.

"I been drinking every since." Rondo stopped speaking and sat staring at Amy, Mo Money and Jane Rizzoli. Amy and Jane had tears openly streaming down their faces. Money looked like he was sitting on a cactus and every spine was buried in his ass.

Jane wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. Her voice came out two octaves lower than usual. "And you've never sang again either."

"Got no reason to sing. Singing is a joyous event. I got no joy in my soul. Not anymore." It had been time to tell his story. All these years he had carried the poison inside him. It was time to let it go.

"Was Tonya's body ever found?" Amy asked she knew what it was like to lose someone and not have the opportunity to say goodbye.

"The muscle reported back to Mac everything he had seen. Mac went crazy with grief. He gathered every man that worked for him and confronted the butcher. Pieces of him were found for a solid week floating in the bay. Tonya's body was found and buried in the family plot."

"What about you, Rondo?" Jane asked her heart aching for him.

"I decided to join the army. If Uncle Sam was telling me what to do, I wouldn't have to think for myself anymore. But, you can't follow orders if you're always drunk. I got kicked out and ended up here. Mac had his guys build this packing crate. It's been home sweet home ever since."

"Home is where the heart is Rondo. This city is your home, the streets are yours to wander free night and day. And you are the best damn CI I've ever worked with. Not a bad life, my friend. Not a bad life at all." She normally didn't embellish, but Rondo needed a hand up and she was more than willing to offer hers.

His Vanilla had called him a friend! Not a bad life indeed. "Speaking of our partnership, Vanilla…"

"Bring me something worth big money and I'll give you big money. And why is Maura's nickname Caramel and I'm boring old Vanilla?" She tried her best to look insulted and hoped she could keep from laughing.

"Vanilla is my all-time favorite flavor. Give me a choice of a hundred and ninety-nine and I'll pick Vanilla every time." He threw her a wink and added, "You ever saw a vanilla bean? They long, lean and brunette."

The entire group dissolved into laughter, none louder than Jane. She was indeed long, lean and brunette.

**The end.**

**A/N I hope you enjoyed Rondo's tale. I now have to prepare for a very special challenge! **


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